Their Second Chance
by autumnrose2010
Summary: George and Jane Boleyn are given the chance to relive their marriage, with the memory of their mistakes and the subsequent consequences intact. Can they save Anne from execution and change the course of history? GeorgexJane, AnnexHenry Percy
1. Starting Over

Jane looked around and saw that it was really true. The dress she had worn, the guests who had been there, even the music that had been playing, were all the same. Once again, it was her wedding day.

She looked over at George standing with his friends. His eyes met her own for a brief second, then returned to Mark, who was teasing him.

_"This is a most unusual request," He had told them. "Over many eons I've only heard it a few times. Samson and Delilah, Constantine and Fausta, a handful of others. Are you sure this is what you really want?"_

_"We are," they had replied in unison._

_"Well then, so might it be!"_

Jane remembered the empty words they had exchanged the other time, the first time.

_"Do you really love me, George?"_

_"Of course I do. I married you, didn't I?"_

Now she listened to Mark's loud guffaws and the snide remarks of the other men. _Why doesn't he just shut up and play the violin or something?_

"I can't wait for tonight," George said. His words sent an icy chill down her spine. She looked into his eyes and saw nothing there but joyful anticipation. Instantly her fear left her and was replaced with longing.

* * *

><p>She waited for him in their bed chambers that night, her heart pounding with trepidation. Would things really be different this time?<p>

She heard him outside the door, then the door swung open and he appeared. His lips met hers, and they kissed passionately. He felt her stiffen automatically.

"Please don't be afraid, Jane," he whispered. "I promise, I won't hurt you."

Avoiding the table, he instead led her to the bed, where he slowly undressed her, showering her with kisses the whole time. She felt the evidence of his arousal and reached for the elastic of his hose.

"May I?" she whispered.

"Of course!" he whispered back.

She removed his hose and undergarments and took him into her hands, gently stroking, curiously exploring. When he was sure that she was ready, he entered her, and they began to make love. As it was once again her first time, there was slight pain and a little blood, but not nearly as much of either as there had been that other first time. When it was over, he held her close and stroked her hair lovingly.

"Are you really all right, Jane?" His voice was full of concern.

"I'm fine, George." Inside her were feelings that she had never felt before and didn't quite understand, but they were overwhelmingly positive.

"Are you all right?" she asked him, a bit shyly.

"Of course!" He laughed and hugged her tightly, then kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Jane," he said.

"I love you too, George."

* * *

><p>Jane paced the floor, her emotions vacillating between anxiety and outrage. George should have been home hours ago.<p>

When he finally arrived, she bit her tongue to prevent the angry words from spilling out. She was determined to give him a chance to explain first.

"I'm sorry, Jane." She saw how weary he looked and her heart softened just a little. "I've been about the King's business."

She didn't say anything, but the silence between them was palpable.

"Yes, I _did_ go to see Mark, but it's not what you think," he finally added, reluctantly. "I went to tell him good-bye, that we can't continue to carry on as we have since I'm married now. The church teaches against it, and even more so, I know that it hurts you, and I don't ever want to do anything to hurt you, Jane."

"George, I...I don't know what to say." She went to him, and he gently embraced her.

"To be with you is heaven," he murmured. "I know. I've been there." They both laughed gently.

"I do ask, Jane, that you try to be understanding about my relationship with Anne. I swear to you, there's nothing sexual about it in any way, but Anne and I have always been very close, ever since we've been children. She has enemies at court, and she needs all the love and support I can give her."

"I never had any brothers or sisters, George." Jane's voice sounded slightly hurt.

"I know, and I'm sorry." His hand caressed her cheek gently.

"If I did have a brother, I would want him to be just like you, George."

"I'm so very glad I'm not your brother." He grinned cheekily, and she smiled back.

Neither of them suspected how quickly things were about to change for the worse...


	2. Anne's Loss

"Another problem Anne and I have is our father," George continued. "We love him, but he uses us as pawns to further his own ambitions. Sometimes I feel as if he cares more about advancing his own station in life than he does about us."

"I know how you feel," Jane replied. "My own father is the same way. I'm not saying that it was a bad thing, but I wasn't sure at all that I was ready to go through with our wedding, but he forced me to anyway."

"My father forced me as well," George said softly.

"Do you regret it?" A tiny smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Not one bit!" He grinned and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. "I missed you today," he whispered into her ear.

"Make love to me, George," she murmured. "I want to feel you inside me."

* * *

><p>The next time Jane saw her sister-in-law, Queen Anne Boleyn, Anne was crying as if her heart would break.<p>

"What's wrong?" Jane went to Anne and embraced her.

"I lost the baby," Anne sobbed.

"I'm so sorry," Jane said.

"Henry...Henry said that I miscarried my savior."

"He's just upset and disappointed," Jane told her. "He'll get over it, and you can try again soon."

Anne shook her head. "This is the third time it's happened. I heard Henry say he'd never get a son from me. I've already been replaced in his affections. I saw him with that Seymour whore on his lap. That made me so upset that I lost the baby, but even that wasn't the worst thing."

"How could anything be worse than that?"

"My father accused me of doing something to kill the baby."

"He didn't!" Jane was shocked. "Doesn't he realize how much pain you're in? Why would he say something like that to make you feel even worse?"

"Because to him, my baby and I are merely objects to be used to advance his own position," Anne said miserably. "So instead of being heartbroken over the loss of his grandchild, he's instead angry that he's now in danger of falling from Henry's favor."

"I'm so sorry, Anne," said Jane. She held her sister-in-law and let the other woman cry on her shoulder.

* * *

><p>"Do you understand now what I meant about him?" George asked Jane after she had told him about the incident. "I consider my other sister, Mary, to be fortunate, as even though she's been banished from court, at least she's out from under our father's influence now."<p>

"Why can't we leave court as well?" asked Jane. "I'd much rather be safe with you somewhere else and away from all the envious gossip mongers."

"Ah, Jane, you know it's not as simple as that." George sighed deeply and ran his fingers through his hair. "This is the kind of life I've been brought up to lead. For me to try to live as Mary's husband William Stafford would be like a fish trying to live on land, not to mention the hell my father would put me through if I ever even tried anything like that."

"Why can't you and Anne stand up to him?"

"We've always been too afraid of losing his love," George told her.

_What love? _Jane thought, but she didn't say anything.

* * *

><p>A few days later Jane received a surprise visit from Thomas Cromwell. The look on his face sent chills down her spine.<p>

"Come with me," he said coldly.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Somewhere where we won't be disturbed. I want to ask you some questions about your husband's relationship with his sister the Queen."


	3. George's Decision

Jane found herself in a small, dark room, alone except for Thomas Cromwell. Thomas' eyes bored into her own, and she felt as if she were about to suffocate.

"Is it not true that your husband George has been involved in an incestuous relationship with his sister, Queen Anne Boleyn?"

"No, that's not true at all! Their relationship is strictly platonic and always has been."

"On the contrary, Lady Rochford, I have incontrovertible evidence that that is indeed the case. For you to deliberately lie to protect your husband and his sister is considered to be an act of high treason. Do you know what the punishment for high treason is?"

"But that's crazy! How could you have incontrovertible evidence of something that never happened?"

"The child the Queen recently miscarried was grossly deformed. A deformity that severe could have only come about as the result of an incestuous mating."

"I have no idea why the Queen's miscarried infant was so badly deformed, but I swear, George never had sex with his sister. Never. Not even once."

The interrogation continued for several hours, after which Jane was left little more than a quivering mass of nerves. When Thomas finally released her, she stumbled blindly from the room and headed for her quarters. Suddenly she felt a pair of strong arms around her, holding her close.

"There, there," George whispered into her hair. He held her and rubbed her back as she sobbed. Finally, she lifted her red-rimmed eyes to look into his.

"I didn't give in," she told him. "Cromwell badgered me for hours, but I refused to give in."

George sighed. "I know. He did the same to me, but that's nothing compared to what his henchman did to poor Mark. He was tortured, and one of his eyes is completely swollen shut."

Jane stiffened.

"Please don't hate him, Jane. He doesn't hate _you."_

Jane didn't reply. George sighed.

"Look, I know you're jealous, and that's perfectly understandable, but I swear to you, I haven't been with him like that once since we married."

"But that's not for lack of desire, is it?" Jane asked quietly.

"Look, Jane, he was the one who came on to me. I could tell that he was attracted to me, and I was flattered. I was also curious about what it would be like to be with a man. That's all. I've had no desire whatsoever to be with him since I married you."

Jane smiled. George kissed her lips.

"That was nice. Can I have another?"

* * *

><p>After they made love, they cuddled in bed and talked.<p>

"I fear for my sister's life, Jane. I know that Henry wants to marry Jane Seymour, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants, up to and including having Anne put to death under false accusations," George said.

"Do you think that he would spare Anne's life if she agreed to step down as Queen and allow him to declare the marriage null and void so that he can marry Jane Seymour?"

"Possibly, but that would mean that Elizabeth would be bastardized. I think Anne would rather die than see that happen."

"But George, can't you see that it would mean your life as well, and Mark's? If Anne is convicted of incest and adultery, those accused with her will also die with her." Jane was once again near tears. She couldn't bear the thought of her husband's neck on the block.

"You're right," George said slowly. "We will go to her," he decided. "We'll beg her to step down, not only to save her own life but to save other innocent lives as well. After all, who's to say Henry wouldn't have Elizabeth bastardized after her death anyway?"

* * *

><p>To George's surprise, Anne reacted calmly to his suggestion.<p>

"It makes perfect sense, as I can plainly see that Henry will probably have Elizabeth bastardized anyway, no matter what I do," she said. "Yet I'm afraid to do as you ask."

"Who are you afraid of? Henry?" asked Jane.

"No." Anne looked at George. "Our father."


	4. Thomas' Lost Earldom

"But doesn't he realize what Henry is capable of?" asked Jane.

"I'm sure he could, but he chooses not to, out of fear of losing position and prestige," Anne told her.

"But if you talk to him and tell him that your life is at stake, won't he listen then?" asked Jane. Anne and George both shook their heads.

"Suppose you tell Henry that you're stepping down as Queen without consulting your father first," Jane suggested.

Anne looked terrified.

"What if we both go with you to talk to Henry," George said. "That would be a bit less frightening, wouldn't it?"

Anne smiled gratefully.

* * *

><p>"As you have so willingly and graciously submitted to me, I will grant your request," Henry told Anne. "You do realize, of course, that as our marriage will therefore be declared null and void, your daughter Elizabeth will be considered a bastard and will no longer be in the line of succession to the throne."<p>

"I shall raise _our _daughter to be a proper English lady, to be proud of who she is and confident of her own worth."

"Very well, then," Henry said. "I shall inform Cromwell that the investigation is to be called off and prepare the proper paperwork for you to sign. You are dismissed." He turned to one of his men. "Please send for Thomas Boleyn right away."

* * *

><p>"To be honest, I'll be relieved to get away from this court and all the malice and back-biting," George said later to Jane, when they were alone together in their bedchambers. "Sometimes I really miss the country air. Did you ever run through the grass barefooted on a gorgeous summer morning with the sun shining down and the wind blowing through your hair, Jane?"<p>

George's reverie was interrupted by the door swinging open as his father Thomas angrily stormed in without giving the doorman time to announce his arrival.

"Are you aware of the consequences your brash actions have heaped on me?" he screamed. "The King has taken my earldom away, and now it's as if the entire past three years have all been for nothing!"

Thomas' face was red with rage as he advanced on Jane. "You were behind all of this! My son and daughter would have never dared to make such a proposal to the King unless you had put them up to it!"

"You're wrong, father," George told him calmly. "Anne and I acted entirely on our own. Jane had nothing to do with it at all. She wasn't even aware that Anne planned to step down as Queen until it was already done."

"You're lying to protect her!" Thomas roared. He raised his fist to strike Jane, and George quickly stepped between them and took the blow to his cheek.

"George! Are you all right?" Jane's voice was full of concern as she rushed to her husband's side. George held his cheek and glowered at his father, who said nothing but looked guiltily at his son.

"Out! I want you out of my quarters, right this instant!" George bellowed at his father. Thomas turned and quickly stalked away.

"I'm all right, darling." George grinned bravely at Jane, but she saw a thin trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

"I'm so sorry," she said.

"There's nothing for you to be sorry for. It isn't your fault at all." George sighed deeply. Jane went to him and he put his arms around her and held her tight. They stood like that for a long time, in complete silence.

The next visitor to George and Jane's bedchambers was Mark Smeaton. "I'm sorry to interrupt you," he said apologetically.

"You're not interrupting anything at all," George said amiably. "Come on in."

"Are you all right? Your cheek looks a bit swollen," Mark said to George.

"It's nothing. I believe a tooth has gotten infected, that's all."

"You'd better see a dentist soon, then. It doesn't pay to put that type of thing off. Anyway, I came to share the good news with you. The charges against me have been dropped, and I have been allowed to return to my post as court violinist!"

"That's wonderful, Mark!" George grinned and clapped Mark on the shoulder.

Mark turned to Jane and smiled awkwardly. "Would you like to be friends?" he asked softly.

Jane hesitated for just a moment and then smiled warmly. "Why not?" She and Mark shook hands. George beamed.


	5. Out In The Country

"I know that we did the right thing, but as we are now banished from court and obviously not welcome at Hever House, where shall we go? What shall we do?" Jane asked her husband.

"My uncle, James Boleyn, has an estate out in the country. We shall throw ourselves on his mercy and hope that he will allow us to stay with him, at least for the time being."

"Do you know him well?" Jane asked.

"Not extremely well, but I have met him before and we have always gotten along quite well."

"What about Anne and Elizabeth?"

"They are coming with us. My uncle's estate is very large and he should have plenty of room for everyone."

George and Jane packed their belongings and, together with Anne and two-year-old Elizabeth, set out for James Boleyn's estate out in the countryside.

As the carriage passed rambling green hills, rippling brooks, thatched cottages, various types of farm animals, and children laughing and playing in the fields, Jane felt her spirits begin to lift. The sadness she felt about having to leave court slowly dissipated and was replaced by the thrill of anticipation for her new life in the country.

"Everything is just so beautiful," she said to George, sitting beside her in the carriage.

"This is how I grew up, Jane," he told her. "I climbed trees, swam or fished in the brooks, and played tag or hide and seek with my sisters. I wouldn't change a thing about my childhood."

They stopped to have lunch in a grassy field. Little Elizabeth chased a rabbit hopping across the grass. George spread the quilt on the ground and Anne and Jane served the food.

"Race you to that stump over there," George challenged Jane after they had eaten.

George had a slight lead, but Jane was gaining on him until she tripped over a tree root and went sprawling.

"Are you all right, love?" George's voice was full of concern as he turned back to check on her.

"I think so. Help me up." He reached to lift her and she pulled him down beside her.

"Hey!" He was startled but only for a moment. Holding onto one another, they rolled over and over in the tall grass, laughing merrily, until they heard Anne's voice in the distance.

"You two had better stop messing about if you want to reach Uncle James' estate before nightfall," she warned.

They stood and brushed the grass and other debris from their clothing and walked back to the carriage hand in hand.

After awhile Elizabeth fell asleep in Anne's arms. Jane began to feel drowsy herself and rested her head on George's shoulder. He put his arm around her and cuddled her.

It was indeed near dark when they finally arrived at George's Uncle James' estate. They parked the carriage, settled the horses, and approached the manor's entrance.

Uncle James was surprised by delighted to see them. George told him what had happened and he nodded sympathetically.

"I've always thought that my brother Thomas was rather heartless, and this proves that I was right about him all along," he said. "Of course, you may stay as long as you want. I would never turn my niece and nephew away."

"Thank you so much, kind sir," Jane said.

"Please, just call me Uncle James like everyone else does." He smiled warmly at her.

George and Jane spent the rest of the evening getting settled into their new quarters. Anne and Elizabeth were right across the hall from them.

"Do you miss him?" Jane asked.

"Who?'

"You know who." Jane frowned.

"Only as one friend would miss another."

Gazing out the window at the moon and stars, Jane didn't notice George sneaking up behind her until she was in his arms and he was gently tossing her onto the pillows. She gave a startled laugh as he climbed into bed beside her and began tugging at her clothing. When she was finally naked, he began to kiss her deeply and passionately while stimulating her nipples with his hands until they were tingling and engorged and she began to feel an aching between her legs. She felt his hardness through his hose and pulled them down, releasing him. She began to touch him and he began to moan. George moved to take first one, then the other, nipple into his mouth. The sensation was wonderful, but they aching between her legs increased until she could barely stand it and began to moan impatiently. At last George moved to where the aching was and began to lick her there, and she went over the edge almost immediately. She was still quivering when he rolled on top of her and entered her. He brought her over the edge once more before going there himself.

"Now, did that convince you of my sincerity?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

"Beyond a doubt." She grinned back. She pulled his face to her on and kissed his lips fiercely, then rolled onto her side. He snuggled up to her with his arms around her waist and the sound of chirping crickets outside the window soon lulled them both to sleep.


	6. Wonderful News

"I'm attending a bear baiting with Mark Smeaton today," George told Jane a few days after their arrival at their new home. "It was arranged before we left court. You can come along as well if you want," he offered.

Bear baitings weren't exactly Jane's preferred mode of entertainment, but she thought it would be prudent to accept George's invitation, if for no other reason than to make sure that nothing inappropriate happened between her husband and his former lover.

When they arrived at the event, Jane saw that Mark was accompanied by another young man of about his age with unruly dark brown hair.

"Meet my new partner, Thomas Tallis," Mark said by way of introduction. "He plays the lute as well, and also the organ. We make beautiful music together." Mark laughed loudly at his own cleverness. Jane glanced anxiously at her husband to see whether he looked jealous, and to her tremendous relief saw that he didn't.

"You see, he's moved on, just as I have," George said to Jane after the event was over and they were riding home in the carriage.

"I hope they're happy together," Jane replied. She thought of the extra time Mark and Thomas would have to spend in purgatory because of the immorality of their relationship but resisted the temptation to mention it.

"I'm sure they will be." George smiled and took his wife's hand. "It's a lovely day for a carriage ride, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Jane agreed.

"Thank you for coming along today, Jane. I know you don't particularly enjoy bear baitings," George said. "Tomorrow we'll go on a picnic, just me and you. I know you enjoy those."

Jane smiled. "That sounds lovely, darling."

* * *

><p>Anne couldn't believe her eyes. The man sitting on the horse was none other than Henry Percy, her former love interest whom she had been forced to put aside when the King had become interested in a relationship with her.<p>

"It's a lovely day for an outing," Henry said. "I'd be honored if you could join me."

Jane readily agreed to babysit Elizabeth, and Henry and Anne were soon riding horses together across the countryside.

"I heard that the King had cast you aside in favor of another," Henry said.

"Jane Seymour. One of my ladies in waiting," Anne muttered through her teeth.

"I completely fail to understand how he could have done such a foolish thing," Henry said. "If you had been mine, I never could have cast you aside, no matter what."

"I failed to give him a son," Anne said miserably.

"Yet you did give him a very beautiful daughter, I understand."

"My Elizabeth." Anne smiled fondly. "She's the light of my life."

"Tell me about her." Henry stopped his horse and looked at Anne expectantly.

"She's an adorable little girl. She's almost three years old, and she looks just like her father. She's very bright as well."

"She would have to be, coming from you." Henry grinned. "I should love to meet her sometime."

"And so you shall," Anne promised. "Why did you never marry, Henry?"

They had reached a clearing and dismounted from their horses. They spread the quilt and began laying out the food for the picnic.

"I simply never found a woman I could love the way I loved you, and still do," Henry said softly.

Anne smiled. The fluttery feeling in her heart that she had always felt around Henry before had returned, and it was stronger than ever.

"Do you think you could ever love me again?" Henry asked.

"I don't think I ever completely stopped loving you," Anne told him.

The picnic forgotten, Henry and Anne were soon embracing passionately. She ran her fingers through his dark brown hair, felt his hot breath on her neck, felt his lips pressed to hers, felt her body go weak with desire. Suddenly Henry moved away from her.

"I"m so sorry, Anne. Please forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive, Henry. I wanted that just as badly as you did."

"I can't believe I almost took you in an open field like a common wench," Henry said remorsefully.

"It's quite all right, darling. Please don't chide yourself." Anne busied herself with opening containers of food.

In the end they both spent far more time gazing into one another's eyes than eating.

* * *

><p>Weeks became months, and the Boleyns came to love their new home. The romance between Henry Percy and Anne deepened, and Henry became a regular presence around the manor. Little Elizabeth adored him as if he were her own father, and he doted on her as if upon a daughter.<p>

One day George saw Jane snacking on crackers with cheese and pickled cucumber slices.

"It seems an odd combination," he remarked.

"Lately, I've developed a real craving for them," Jane told him.

"Is that so?" George froze in place.

Jane smiled. "Sit down, George. I have wonderful news."


	7. New Beginnings

"Are you sure?" George asked.

Jane smiled and nodded. "The midwife says that I'm about two months along."

"Jane, that's wonderful!" George laughed and hugged his wife tightly but gingerly. "A baby!" he whispered in awe. He lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "You take care, darling. I don't want anything to happen to you, or to the baby."

"I'm fine, George," Jane assured him.

"Have you been eating well? Getting enough rest?"

Jane chuckled. "I'm fine, George. Please don't worry about me."

* * *

><p>Henry Percy and Anne laughed as they ran through the fallen leaves, listening to their shoes make crunching noises. Each of them held one of Elizabeth's hands, and the little girl chortled with glee. Henry finally collapsed onto the ground, pulling Elizabeth into his lap. Anne sat down beside him.<p>

"I love this time of year," Henry said. "The breeze feels so nice, and the changing colors of the leaves are so pretty."

"This time last year I was still at Whitehall Palace," Anne said quietly.

"Do you miss it?" asked Henry.

"I miss some things, I suppose," Anne said after giving it some thought. "But I definitely don't miss all the pressure I was under to bear a son for the King, all his temper tantrums and mood swings, and all the viciousness and back-biting of court life."

"Does it hurt you that you're no longer Queen?"

"A little bit, but what truly breaks my heart is that now Elizabeth can never become Queen."

"You never know what the future holds," Henry said cheerfully.

Anne sighed. Henry picked up one of her hands and began gently tracing her palm with one of his fingers.

"I've been thinking about you and me. About us," he said.

"And?"

"And I have come to the conclusion that as I have been given a second chance at happiness, it would be foolish of me not to treasure it as the gift that it is. Will you marry me, Anne?"

"Oh, Henry." Overcome with emotion, she hugged him tightly and buried her face in his neck.

"May I take that as a yes?"

* * *

><p>Henry and Anne were married on a beautiful, crisp autumn day. Anne looked absolutely radiant in her wedding gown, and Henry was dashingly handsome in his doublet. George, Jane, and the rest of their family and friends were there. Jane hadn't yet begun to show.<p>

"This seems to be a year for new beginnings," George commented. "A new home for all of us, a new marriage for Anne, and a new baby for us."

"Beginnings and endings." A shadow fell across Jane's face.

"Do you miss life at court?" George asked softly.

"A bit, but I was thinking more so of what happened between you and your father. I still feel responsible for it."

"No, Jane." George's voice was almost a whisper as he put his arms around her and held her close. "You didn't do anything wrong. We made the right choice. If not for the decision we made, Anne and I could very well be dead now, as well as several other innocent men."

Jane still looked mournful. George held her face between his hands and tenderly kissed her forehead. She gave a small smile. "That's my girl." George pinched her cheek playfully and she grinned. He laughed softly and hugged her.

* * *

><p>"At last we are together and alone, my love." Henry joined Anne on the bed, where she lay back and he began to kiss her passionately. She returned his kisses with equal fervor, running her hands over his body as she did so. His fingers fumbled with her gown, loosening the ties to give him access to her breasts. Anne felt a fire beginning in the pit of her stomach and spreading in all directions. Her skin felt hot everywhere Henry touched it. She began to moan softly. Henry gently lifted the gown over her head and removed it, then began to lavish attention on her breasts, stimulating them first with his fingers, then with his tongue. Her moaning increased as his fingers slipped deftly between her legs to feel the wetness there. He quickly moved to take off his night shirt and hose, and she reached for him and began to lovingly stroke him. Within seconds he was inside her and they were making love. Henry cried out as he climaxed, then pulled Anne to him and lay very still, holding her tightly. She cuddled up next to him, and they were both fast asleep almost instantly.<p> 


	8. Jane's Choice

Jane's pregnancy progressed normally. George was thrilled to watch his wife's abdomen become softly rounded as the new life within her grew.

"I felt the baby move for the first time today," she told him one afternoon. "It felt just like the flutter of a baby bird's wing."

That night George lay with his hand on Jane's belly, hoping to feel his child's movements himself. However, it was a couple of months later before the baby's kicks were strong enough for him to feel them.

Another joyful event was that Anne announced her own pregnancy several months after her marriage to Henry Percy.

"I'm so happy for you, sister!" Jane exclaimed, embracing Anne.

"Thank you, sister," Anne replied, hugging Jane back.

One day when Jane was about eight and a half months pregnant, she and George awakened to a gorgeous spring morning.

"It's such a lovely day today that I thought it would be a nice day to ride out and see all the new flowers blooming on the estate," she hesitantly suggested to her husband. Lately he had become very protective of her, almost constantly at her side, hardly allowing her to lift anything or perform any kind of work. She was very flattered by his concern but had begun to feel a bit stifled.

"That sounds like a lovely idea, as long as you feel up to it," George said after only a moment's hesitation.

"Would I have suggested it if I didn't?" Jane asked with a smile.

George laughed and embraced her gently. "No, I don't suppose you would have."

Sitting in the carriage with her husband's arm around her protectively and a soft breeze blowing through her hair, Jane thought that she had never felt so good. They stopped the carriage and got out and stood with their arms around one another, gazing at the beauty of the new spring flowers, scattered majestically all over the field in a variety of colors. Jane rested her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Just think, this time next year, we can bring our little one with us to see the flowers," she told George.

"This time next year, our little one will probably be scooting around on his or her own, getting into all kinds of things," George laughed. "I remember when Elizabeth was the age our child will be this time next year. You couldn't take your eyes off her for a second."

A light sprinkle began to fall, so George and Jane reluctantly returned to the carriage and began the journey home.

The light sprinkle soon changed to a steady downpour. George held Jane tightly as she began to shiver.

Neither of them ever knew what spooked the horse, but it suddenly began to buck wildly, nearly overturning the carriage. Jane screamed at the top of her lungs as George struggled frantically to get control of the reins. The carriage was approaching a tree with a very large and low hanging branch at an alarming rate of speed, and George was trying with all his might to steer free of it when he felt an enormous jolt, then a falling sensation.

He came to to find himself lying flat on his back on the ground. The pain in his back was so severe that he wondered whether or not he would be able to stand. _Jane. I've got to get to her. _By slowly and carefully moving himself into a sitting position, he found that he was able to then raise himself into a standing position.

He saw where the carriage he had been thrown from had collided with the tree branch. His heart sank as he saw Jane's legs protruding out from underneath the wreckage. _Please, God, let her still be alive. _He made his way to her and with superhuman strength managed to push the branches and pieces of broken carriage aside. To his immense relief he saw that she was still alive and conscious. Her face was as white as a sheet and contorted with pain.

"George. The baby." Her whisper was so faint that he could barely hear her words.

"I'm right here, sweetheart. Everything's going to be all right." He sat beside her cradling her head in his lap and tenderly stroking her face and hair.

"It's coming...now..." she gasped. George's eyes widened in fear as he saw that her water had broken and that the clothing covering her lower body was soaking wet.

"George...I'm scared..." She was near tears.

"It's all right, darling. I'm here." He saw her grimace with pain as a strong contraction washed over her.

"Don't leave me, George. Please!" The panic in her voice broke his heart.

"I'm not going anywhere, dearest. I promise." From the force force with which the carriage had obviously collided with the tree branch, he knew that she must have significant internal injuries. He prayed that she would have the strength to do what he knew she must now do.

"Please try to rest as much as you can, darling. You're going to need all your strength." He continued to hold her and stroke her lovingly. She closed her eyes and tried to relax between contractions. When one would wash over her her eyes would fly open and she would groan in pain. George fervently wished that he could take her pain upon himself. He couldn't bear to watch her suffer.

George didn't know how long he sat comforting his injured wife and helping her through her contractions. Time seemed to have no meaning. His concern for Jane and their baby was so strong that he had completely forgotten about his own back pain.

Suddenly a look of sheer terror appeared on Jane's face. "George...the baby...it's coming...now!" She grunted and began to bear down.

George quickly removed all the clothing from her lower body and spread her legs as far apart as he could. With a gasp he saw that the baby's head was already crowning.

"You're doing fine, sweetheart...you're almost there...just keep pushing..."

After several more mighty pushes, the newborn's body slid out into George's waiting hands. It was dusky blue and completely limp. It was a boy.

"Is...it...all right?" Jane was so weak that she could hardly speak.

"He's...he's not breathing." George's voice trembled, and great sobs began to wrack his body.

* * *

><p><em>Suddenly He was there, all in dazzling white and shining brightly enough to illuminate the entire countryside. <em>_Jane looked at George and knew that he saw Him too; however, He was looking at Jane, and his words were directed to her._

_"Will you give your life for him?"_

_She answered calmly and clearly with no hesitation whatsoever._

_"Yes, I will give my life for him."_


	9. Georgie

He _placed His hand on the infant's head, and instantly the newborn's coloring changed from dusky blue to pink and he began to move and cry. George was jubilant._

_"May I please say good-bye to my husband before we leave?" Jane asked, turning to George, whose expression quickly changed to one of anguish._

_"Please take good care of our son, and keep me alive in his memory." George nodded silently, big tears streaming down his face._

_He gave Jane a look of infinite love and compassion. "I only wanted to know if you were willing. I never said you had to right away. Your son needs his mother." He touched first Jane's chest, then George's back, and then He was gone just as quickly as He had appeared._

* * *

><p>The newborn continued to wail. "I think he must be hungry." George handed the baby to Jane and helped her to loosen her clothing so that she could nurse him. Jane felt the warm, soft lips at her breast and a feeling of calm settled over her. For the first time she realized that everything was going to be fine. The rain had stopped and the sun was beginning to come out. Jane lay back against the tree trunk and nursed her new son as George looked on with a face full of tenderness and love.<p>

"We did it, Jane. By God, we did it." He gave a laugh of pure joy, and she smiled tiredly in response.

"You're amazing, Jane. Absolutely amazing. You both are." Her smile grew wider. "We need to think of a name for you, little one," he told his son.

"He looks just like a George to me," Jane said.

"George it is, then." He grinned. "Thank you, my dear. I'm deeply honored."

"We can call him Georgie while he's little," Jane suggested.

George laughed. "That's what they used to call me when I was little."

The problem of how to get back home remained. It was too far to walk, at least for a woman who had just given birth. Providentially, Uncle James soon arrived in his carriage. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw Jane holding baby Georgie amidst the debris of the smashed carriage.

"I was afraid that misfortune had befallen you due to the storm," he explained. "Now I'm ever so glad I came along to see about you."

"As are we," George replied. He helped Jane to climb up into the carriage and then handed the baby to her.

"I've never been so happy to be home." Jane sighed contentedly, settling back back on the pillows in her bed, when they were finally home.

"Neither have I." The enormity of what had just transpired finally hit George, and he suddenly had to blink back tears. "I love you so much more than I ever thought possible, Jane. More than my own life, even. I can't begin to tell you how precious you are to me."

Jane was crying, too. George kissed away her tears. "Try to get some rest now, sweetheart. God knows you certainly deserve it." Jane obediently rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

When she awakened Henry and Anne were there.

"I'm so happy for you, sister," Anne said, embracing Jane warmly. "My new nephew is simply beautiful."

"He is, isn't he," Jane agreed. Georgie awakened and began to nurse. George brought bits of food to Jane's mouth and held a cup for her to drink from.

"I didn't even realize how hungry I was," Jane commented. George laughed indulgently. "Eat your fill, my love."

After eating, Jane curled up beside George and rested some more. He rubbed her back in lazy circles while admiring his new son. Georgie looked so tiny, smaller than any baby George had ever seen. His fine dark brown hair was very soft and was lightly scattered over his scalp. His eyes were a dusky dark blue. His hands were balled into tiny fists. To George he was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Jane, exhausted, fell into a deep sleep and slept through the night, George gently shaking her awake at intervals whenever Georgie wanted to nurse.

* * *

><p>"That was simply unbelievable," Anne said to Henry later in their own quarters. "To think that she and the baby both came so close to dying yet they're both fine now. If I didn't believe in miracles before, I definitely do now."<p>

"I certainly hope our own little one's birth isn't nearly as traumatic." Henry placed his hand on his wife's gently rounded belly.

"Elizabeth's birth went fine. I see no reason why this one shouldn't as well."

"Just be sure and stay inside during rain storms." Henry laughed. Anne cuddled up next to him and they were both soon asleep.


	10. King Henry's Change Of Heart

The next morning Jane opened her eyes to see rays of sunlight streaking across the sheets and George sitting beside the bed wearing a big grin and holding their sleeping son.

"Good morning, Mama," he said.

"Good morning, Papa," she replied, yawning mightily. "Dear God, it's late!"

"After everything you went through yesterday, I think you were entitled to sleep in," George chuckled. "How do you feel?"

"Well...fine, I suppose." Jane stretched luxuriously. "It's too early to tell, really." She gently pulled the corner of the blanket back from her sleeping son's face. "Let me see him. Come to Mama, darling."

George handed the baby to his wife. "I'll let you take over while I go get us some breakfast."

Henry and Anne soon came by to pay their new nephew another visit.

"My, you are just so handsome," Anne told baby Georgie. "You look so much like your father." She turned to Jane. "I have to say that I truly admire you, dear sister. I don't know that I would have the courage and fortitude to make it through what you went through yesterday."

"But you've given birth before yourself," Jane pointed out.

"Yes, but the circumstances were hardly the same." Both women laughed.

The next several months passed in a pleasant haze for the new family. George spent as much time as he could with Jane and the baby, pampering Jane with tender loving care and doting on his new son, who soon grew plump and rosy under the care of his parents.

"I never dreamed such happiness was possible," Jane sighed contentedly one day.

"So do you miss court life yet?" George asked teasingly.

"Not at all!" Jane said emphatically.

Anne's pregnancy continued to proceed normally.

"I feel as if I've been with child forever," she complained to Jane one day while walking in the garden with her as Elizabeth and Georgie took naps.

"It'll all be over with very soon," Jane assured her.

Less than a week later the two families were having a picnic when Anne gasped and bent over. "Oh!"

Henry gently touched her arm. "Is it time?"

Anne nodded. George and Jane helped her back into the house while Henry went to fetch the midwife.

Jane helped Anne to lie down in bed while George tended to the children.

"Everything's going to be all right," Jane told Anne, brushing damp hair back from her forehead. "The midwife will be here very soon."

"I don't think this baby's going to wait that long," Anne groaned.

"There, there," Jane said, patting her arm.

A little while later a look of sheer panic crossed Anne's face. "Jane, help me! The baby's coming _right now!"_

Jane loosened Anne's undergarments and saw that it was true. The baby's head was beginning to crown.

Fighting a wave of panic herself, Jane struggled to think clearly. "It's going to be all right, Anne. Just do what your body urges you to do. I'm still here so you're not alone."

Anne gave several mighty pushes, and the baby slid out into Jane's waiting hands.

"You have a son!" Jane exclaimed.

"Oh, let me see him!" Anne wept tears of joy. Tears fell from Jane's eyes as well as she cleaned the baby and wrapped him in a blanket.

The midwife arrived just then. Seeing that she was too late to help with the delivery, she quickly examined Anne and the baby, proclaimed that everything seemed perfectly normal, and left.

Henry was, of course, overjoyed at the birth of his new son.

"I shall name him after my uncle who was kind enough to take me in when I had nowhere else to go," Anne stated.

Henry was slightly disappointed but realized that to name the baby after himself might have brought back unpleasant memories of her first husband to Anne, since her former and current husbands unfortunately shared the same first name.

"Very well. His name shall be James," he said.

Several weeks later the family received a very unexpected guest. George and Henry were just returning from a morning of horseback riding and Jane and Anne were sitting in the garden holding their babies when King Henry himself arrived on horseback.

"Papa!" cried Elizabeth, running to hug him.

"My angel!" exclaimed Henry, dismounting from his horse and picking the little girl up. Then he turned to Anne. "Greetings. I trust that you are all well."

"We are all well, Your Majesty, and trust that the same is true of you."

The King shook his head sadly. "Alas, I have lost my precious Jane. She passed into God's presence just twelve days after giving birth to our beloved Prince Edward."

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Anne said.

"Thank you." The King stepped toward Anne, looking at the baby she held with admiration.

Anne smiled. "His name is James. I named him for my uncle."

The King nodded. "I come as your humble servant to seek your forgiveness," he told Anne. "I know now that you are no witch, and that it was utter foolishness of me to have ever thought so. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Of course! It's quite all right," Anne said generously. "I have a wonderful life here with my family in the country. I am content."

"I also must confess that I never truly stopped loving you," Henry continued. "This grieving widower sleeps alone in a cold bed every night. I would be ever so happy if you would agree to renew our marriage vows and return to your rightful position as my Queen. As God has seen fit to render you now capable of bearing sons, we shall fill the royal nursery with heirs, younger brothers for my Edward."

Anne gasped, too shocked to say a word.


	11. Returning To Court

Henry Percy paled and looked at his wife in fear. George and Jane looked at one another, nonplussed. Neither of them had anticipated this turn of events, not in their wildest dreams.

"I do appreciate the offer, Your Grace, but I love my husband and desire to remain married to him," Anne stammered, having finally found her voice.

"Does there not yet abide any love in your heart for me, then, dearest Anne?"

"I love you as any subject loves her sovereign, Your Grace."

Henry looked sulky. He hadn't expected this reaction from Anne at all.

"Do you mean to say that you prefer the life of a country peasant to that of a Queen?" Henry's voice was incredulous.

"I am happy with my life as it is now," Anne said calmly.

"Very well." Henry's face looked as if it had been carved from stone. Without another word he turned and rode back from whence he had come.

* * *

><p>The following day brought another unexpected visitor in the form of Thomas Boleyn. George's face registered surprise at first, then anger.<p>

"Greetings. I hope that all my beloved family are doing well," Thomas said cheerfully, as if nothing unusual at all had ever passed between them.

"How dare you approach me after what you tried to do to my wife?" George asked angrily.

"As I recall, you were the one who took the blow," Thomas reminded him.

"Yet you intended it for her," George said coldly.

"I sincerely apologize for all the pain I have caused you and your wife," Thomas told him. "I've come to tell you that I've had a change of heart and would love to welcome you and Anne and, of course, your spouses and children, back to the family. I realize now how wrong I was to have done what I did and humbly beg all of you to forgive me. I would also love to meet my two new grandchildren."

"The King came to visit you, didn't he?" George's voice was like ice.

"As a matter of fact, he did, but that has nothing to do with the purpose of my visit."

"He bribed you to do this, didn't he? How much did he offer you?"

"It wasn't like that at all, George. He humbly apologized for casting us aside and gave my earldom back to me. We're back in his favor again, George. That's cause for celebration."

George said nothing but glared at his father suspiciously.

"Please, son, can't we just let the past remain in the past?"

George felt conflicting emotions. On the one hand, he knew that he would have a very difficult time forgiving his father for trying to hurt Jane. On the other hand, he had never seen his father looking more sincere and remorseful than he did now. Perhaps he really _had _had a change of heart.

"Very well," George said, after giving the matter some thought. "I accept your apology, on the condition that you never again treat my wife in any way less than respectfully."

"On my honor, I never shall," Thomas promised.

King Henry visited again several weeks later.

"I have come to tell Anne that I respect her decision to remain married to Henry Percy and shall never mention the matter again," he told George, Jane, Henry Percy, and Anne. "I have also come to request that all four of you return to court. All of you shall have excellent positions, even better than the ones you had before. I miss your presence and the services you all once provided for me. It would mean many opportunities for your children as well, much more than would be available to them should they remain out here in the country."

"How do you feel about the prospect of returning to court?" George asked Jane later, when they were alone in their quarters. Georgie was asleep in his crib, and his parents were sitting on the bed cuddling. Jane's head lay on George's shoulder, and his arm was around her.

"I do have to admit that I miss some things, like the dances, the parties, the entertainment, and the companionship. Out here it just gets so...quiet sometimes."

"Do you think that a move back to court would make you happy?"

"If it would make you happy, George, then it would make me happy as well."

George chuckled. "I was just about to say the same thing." He hugged her tightly and kissed her hair.

"Of course, the main question is, what would be best for Georgie."

"I think Henry's right in that there would be better opportunities for him, a superior education and the opportunity to mingle with children from good families."

"Let's do it, then."

"Yes, let's."

After speaking with Henry and Anne and learning that the other couple had reached a similar conclusion, the four adults and their children began the journey back to Whitehall Palace.

* * *

><p>Jane found that there were many new faces at court since the last time she had been there. Particularly troubling was the presence of Edward and Thomas Seymour. Upon seeing them, she greeted them pleasantly and was surprised and hurt when they rebuffed her. She mentioned it later to George when they were alone in their bedchambers.<p>

"They are the brothers of the late Queen who gave her life to give the King his long-desired son," George told her. "As such they are, of course, in great favor with the King and quite certain to remain so. No doubt they are jealous, as they fear that our return to court will detract from their own power and influence. I'm afraid nothing can be done about the situation and it must simply be tolerated, at least for the time being."

"I'm beginning to wonder whether we did the right thing by coming back here after all," Jane sighed.

George put his arms around her and lovingly stroked her hair. "Everything's going to be all right, my love. Just be patient."

Little did they realize at the time that something was about to happen that would make being snubbed by the Seymour brothers seem paltry by comparison, very paltry indeed.


	12. The Quest To Save Henry Percy

The Boleyns had been back at court for barely a fortnight when Anne arrived at George and Jane's bedchambers, her eyes swollen and red from weeping.

"Henry has been arrested and sent to the Tower!" she exclaimed. "He was accused of attending heretical church services, reading heretical texts, and following the teaching of heretics. Edward Seymour is to interrogate him tomorrow. If Henry is found guilty, he'll be boiled alive. Whatever shall I do?" Anne burst into sobs anew as she clung to George and he patted her on the back in an attempt to calm her down.

"Henry's no heretic! He's innocent!" Anne gasped.

"I know that. I know Henry's innocent," George said soothingly. "Can't you see what the King's doing, Anne? He thinks that as a grieving widow, you'll be emotionally vulnerable and receptive to his advances, and then he'll be able to get you to remarry him."

"And he would resort to having an innocent man boiled alive to accomplish that?" Anne was incredulous.

"He was going to murder me, you, and four other innocent people so that he could marry Jane Seymour, remember?" George reminded her.

"Of course I remember!" Anne looked at her brother with defeat in her eyes. "Is there nothing, then, that can be done to save Henry?"

"I can think of only one solution, and it's one you aren't going to like," George said gently.

"You must tell the King that you are willing to divorce your Henry and remarry him, the King. Then perhaps he'll release your Henry."

"I'd rather die," Anne groaned. "Yet I'd be willing to do it if it would save my current husband's life."

"I really believe it's your only chance," George insisted.

Anne was still there when two more visitors, Mark Smeaton and Thomas Tallis, arrived later in the day.

"We heard about Henry Percy," Mark said. "We are here to tell you how sorry we are that this has happened and that we're both willing to support you in any way we can."

"Thanks. We appreciate it," George said. "We all know perfectly well that Anne's current husband is completely innocent. As I told Anne before, the King wants Henry Percy out of the way so that he can remarry Anne."

"George thinks that the only way to save my husband's life is for me to divorce him so that the King can remarry me," Anne added mournfully.

"There may be another way," Mark suggested. "Perhaps you could introduce the King to your cousin, Katherine Howard. I know that she's very young and also very beautiful. Perhaps if you introduced them to one another, the king would become so besotted with her that he's change his mind and release Henry Percy."

"That sounds like an excellent idea! I hadn't even thought of that!" Anne smiled for the first time that day.

"She lives with my step-grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk," George added. "I'll fetch her right away and bring her to court."

"Please hurry," Anne begged. "You may very well have just saved my husband's life," she said to Mark. "I don't know how I can ever thank you."

"It is we who owe you gratitude," Thomas Tallis told her. "If not for your brother, Mark and I wouldn't be together today. With him I've found happiness for the first time since I lost my previous partner, William Compton, to the sweating sickness." He smiled and embraced Mark.

"Good-bye, my love," George said to Jane as he hugged and kissed her.

"I wish you godspeed," Jane told him, blowing him a kiss as he headed for the stable.


	13. Anne Of Cleves

The next morning, Anne saw Edward Seymour headed for the Tower, carrying a fireplace poker. _Dear Lord, please let George return soon with Katherine, _she prayed.

It was several hours later when George finally returned, alone.

"The Dowager Duchess said that Katherine had gone off with Francis Brereton, and that she didn't know where they had gone," he told Anne and Jane. Exhausted from riding, he lay down on the bed and was almost immediately asleep.

Despondent, Anne burst into sobs.

"What distresses you so, my love?" Anne felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and looked up into the smiling eyes of her husband, Henry Percy. "Henry!" she exclaimed joyfully, smothering his face with kisses as he laughed softly.

"But how did you ever escape from the Tower?" she asked him.

"I truly don't understand it," Henry told her. "Thomas Cromwell arrived and told me that all the charges against me had been dismissed and that I was free to return to my family." He looked in on baby James, who was sleeping, then took Anne's hand and led her to their bedchambers.

Mark and Thomas visited George and Jane's chambers later the same day.

"We heard the good news," Mark told George and Jane. "We wanted to come by and say how happy we are that Anne's husband is safe."

"The King has fallen in love with a portrait of Anne of Cleves that was painted by Hans Holbein," Thomas added. "He has agreed to a marriage contract with her, and Charles Brandon is on his way to Cleves to escort her back to England."

"My Anne will be relieved to hear that she's no longer the subject of the King's romantic pursuit," George said.

Anne of Cleves duly arrived, and she and King Henry were married on January 6, 1540, at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich. For a time all seemed well. George's sister Anne soon found that she was once again with child, and she and her husband Henry rejoiced. Several times Jane thought that she might be with child as well, only to be disappointed when her monthly courses returned once again.

"Don't despair, my love," George said, giving her a comforting embrace. "I'm sure it will happen next month."

"I've seen you with Elizabeth," Jane said. "I know how badly you want a little girl of your own, and I want so very badly to give you one."

"A daughter would be nice," George admitted. "Another son would be fine as well, but even if it doesn't happen, that will still be all right. I have you and Georgie, and I love you both more than life itself. The two of you are my whole world, and you're enough for me."

Jane was so touched by George's words that she began to cry, and he kissed her tears away.

Katherine Howard arrived to serve as a lady-in-waiting for the new Queen.

"Mark was right," Jane said to George. "Your cousin is indeed very beautiful."

"I fear that when the King sees her, he may regret his marriage to Anne of Cleves," George replied. "If that happens, I shall fear for the new Queen's safety."

"I know exactly what you mean," Jane said quietly.


	14. Shattered Dreams

As the weeks passed, Jane got to know her cousin by marriage, Katherine Howard, quite well.

"The King likes not his new Queen," Katherine told Jane. "He never comes to her bedchambers, and I've seen him looking at me with lust in his eyes."

Eventually the inevitable happened, and the King's marriage to Anne of Cleves was annulled. Not long afterwards, Katherine came to visit George and Jane in a state of distress.

"Uncle Thomas says that I must marry the King," she told them. "Yet I don't love him. He's fat, and the sores on his legs stink. I can't bear the thought of having to share his bed." Katherine was near tears.

"Would you like for us to talk to him for you?" asked George.

"Would you do that, please? I'd be ever so grateful."

George and Jane approached the Duke of Norfolk the next day, but he refused to even listen to them. "Your cousin must do her duty for the advancement of the family, just as you and Anne have done," he told them.

So the wedding of King Henry VIII and seventeen-year-old Katherine Howard took place as planned. Afterwards Katherine had a request for Jane.

"Would you please be my lady in waiting? It would give me great comfort to have someone I know and trust nearby," she asked.

"Why, of course! I'd be honored," Jane told her.

One day, a young man Jane had never seen before came to Katherine's chambers. He was very nice looking, with light brown hair, blue eyes, and a winsome smile. After he had gone, Jane asked Katherine who he was.

"His name is Thomas Culpepper, and he's the King's new Gentleman of the Bedchamber. I'd really appreciate it if you could help us to see one another in secret from time to time. He and I are in love, but we have such a difficult time finding opportunities to get together without the King finding out."

Jane gasped. "What you're suggesting is treason!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Katherine, but if I were to be a party to such a scheme, and we were ever to be found out, it would mean execution for both of us, and for Thomas as well. I couldn't bear to leave little Georgie motherless, as so very nearly happened to my little niece Elizabeth once."

"Very well," Katherine said curtly. Jane could tell that she had been angered by her refusal to go along with the plan, but she knew that what she had said was true, and that it wouldn't be worth the risk.

One day not long afterwards, George and Jane were having lunch together when Jane hurriedly excused herself. She made it to a basin just in time. She was just cleaning up when George appeared, looking very concerned.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I just suddenly felt queasy," Jane told him. "But I'm fine now."

George smiled. "How are your monthly courses? Did they come on time?"

"As a matter of fact, I _am _late this month. I didn't say anything about it because it's really too soon to tell for sure and I didn't want to get your hopes up."

George came to her and lightly touched her belly. "You _are _with child. I just _know _you are."

The next day Jane was in Katherine's chambers when she heard a slight noise and turned to see Thomas Culpepper staring at her with hard, cruel eyes. She tried to step past him, but he blocked her way.

"As it is your fault that I am prevented from bedding Katherine, I shall bed you instead," he told her.

Before Jane had time to react, he had shoved her against a table and torn away her undergarments. She felt a searing pain as he thrust himself into her.

"Please, Thomas, no! I'm with child!" she cried. His only response was to thrust into her harder and faster.

Suddenly George was there, pulling Thomas off of her and taking her into his arms. He held her tightly and rocked her as if she were an injured child. "There, there. It's all over. He can't hurt you anymore. I'm here now." All she could do was to cling to him and sob.

George carried her back to their chambers, where he removed her torn clothing and cleaned her up as well as he could. Then he helped her into her nightgown and held and comforted her some more. Anne and Henry, Mark and Thomas Tallis all came by, and George told them how he had found his wife being ravished by Thomas Culpepper. They were all shocked and saddened and insisted that the King be told as quickly as possible.

That night, Jane felt that the sheets were sticky and wet and, to her horror, discovered that she was bleeding quite heavily. "Oh no..." she groaned.


	15. The Truth Comes Out

"What is it, love?" George was instantly wide awake and alarmed.

"I think...I think I'm losing the baby," Jane gasped. That was all she had time to say before a searing pain ripped across her abdomen, causing her to scream in agony.

"I'll fetch the midwife right away," George told her.

"No, no! Please, please don't leave me!" Jane cried, clinging to her husband.

George held Jane as wave after wave of pain hit her, and she began to pass large clots. After several hours, the pain and bleeding abated. George cleaned his wife up as well as he could and then held her and rocked her back to sleep.

The morning after the attack, George requested permission to see the King. When he was admitted to Henry's quarters, he told the King what had happened, and Henry promised to investigate the incident.

After the attack by Thomas Culpepper and the loss of her baby, Jane fell into a deep depression, doing nothing for hours on end but holding an imaginary baby in her arms and rocking and singing to it. It broke George's heart to see the condition his wife was in, and he began to wonder whether she would ever be the same again.

One day Edward Seymour arrived with devastating news.

"As the result of an investigation, it has been discovered that Queen Katherine has been carrying on an illicit affair with Thomas Culpepper, and that your wife Jane has been facilitating their lovemaking sessions. She has therefore been charged with high treason, and I have come to arrest her and take her to the Tower."

"But that's crazy!" George protested. "Jane would never go along with such a plan!"

"We have incontrovertible proof that she did," Edward insisted, taking a menacing step in Jane's direction. George tried to block his way, but two of the men accompanying Edward held him back.

"Just look at her!" George cried desperately. "Can't you see the state she's in? She's been that way ever since Thomas Culpepper raped her and caused her to lose our baby!"

Edward laughed cruelly. "The King investigated that and found that there was no truth to it. Thomas did indeed bed Jane, but it was consensual. He denies ever forcing her."

"But you can't take her as she is! Can't you see that she is suffering great distress mentally?"

"I must," Edward insisted. George watched helplessly as his emotionally shattered wife was taken away and led to the Tower. He wondered whether he would ever see her again.

* * *

><p>Thomas Culpepper was beheaded a short time later. Although George felt relieved that the person who had caused his wife's pain had met with justice at last, his despair over his wife's imprisonment and possible fate weighed heavily on his mind. He went to the King to plead for her life.<p>

"Jane is innocent," he insisted. "And even if she were guilty, you've seen for yourself the state of mind she's in. You know that it's illegal to execute someone who's in that state of mind."

"You're wrong," Henry said coldly. "I have just instituted a new law making it permissible to execute the mentally unstable."

"So there's no hope for her to be saved, then," George said softly.

Henry said nothing. George slowly went back to his chambers, where he collapsed onto the bed and cried until there were no more tears left.

* * *

><p>The day that Queen Katherine and Jane were scheduled to be executed finally arrived. With a heavy heart, George watched as the two women were led to the scaffold.<p>

"Dear Christian people, I have come here to die, as the law has prescribed," Katherine said. "I am guilty of having offended His Grace, yet the woman condemned to die with me is innocent."

The crowd gave a collective shocked gasp. Edward Seymour stepped forward.

"It's true," he said. "Right before he was led out to be beheaded, Thomas Culpepper confessed to me that he did indeed force himself upon Jane Boleyn. He said that he did so because he was frustrated that Jane refused to act as a go-between to arrange secret meetings between himself and the Queen. Jane Boleyn is innocent of all wrongdoing. I simply cannot live with the blood of an innocent woman on my hands."

A stunned silence followed, during which time Jane stared impassively forward, seemingly oblivious to everything going on around her. The silence was finally broken by the King's voice.

"Jane Boleyn, you are hereby declared innocent of the charges that have been brought against you. You are free to go."

The constituents of the shocked crowd murmured amongst themselves. With a cry of joy George mounted the scaffold and embraced his wife.

"It's over, Jane!" he cried, tears of joy streaming down his face. "It's all over, and you're free to go!"


	16. Epilogue

"George?" It was the first word Jane had spoken in weeks, other than to make cooing noises at the nonexistent baby she held in her arms.

"I'm right here, sweetheart." George's voice was full of compassion as he took her hand and began to lead her away from the scaffold. "It's all over now, and I'm taking you back home."

"Home?" Jane stared uncomprehendingly as George led her back into the palace, back to their chambers. Once inside, Jane looked around, and the confusion on her face seemed to clear.

"I lost the baby, George." Her voice was so faint that it was almost a whisper. "I lost it. I'm so sorry." She began to cry. George held her in his arms and comforted her.

"I know, darling. It wasn't your fault. Not at all. You did nothing wrong." Suddenly she was sobbing hysterically. Realizing that she was experiencing a breakthrough of some sort, George simply held her and let her cry. "That's right, sweetheart. Just let it all out. Everything's going to be all right. I'm right here, and I love you so very much."

The sobbing dwindled to hiccups. George held her and rubbed her back. Suddenly she looked up at him, remembering.

"Georgie?"

"He's fine, Jane. Anne's been kind enough to look after him for us while you've been...sick."

"Katherine?"

"Katherine's gone now, Jane. So is Thomas Culpepper. No one's ever going to hurt you like that again."

"I want my baby!"

"Of course. We'll go fetch him right away."

Little Georgie was overjoyed to see his mother again. With a happy shout he ran to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her neck.

"I'm so very happy to see you again, darling!" Jane held the little boy as if she would never let him go.

"Can we go back home now, Mama?"

"Indeed we can. Say good-bye to Aunt Anne and Bessie and Jamie and we'll go there now."

That night Jane slipped beneath the soft sheets of her own bed and into the warmth and comfort of George's arms.

"I've missed you so!" she murmured.

"I can't begin to tell you how glad I am to have you back where you belong," George replied, beginning to kiss her tenderly at first, then more passionately.

That night they made love for the first time since Jane had been attacked by Thomas Culpepper. For Jane it was a very healing experience. George was so eager that he had to keep reminding himself to be very gentle, in consideration of the brutality she had suffered in the past. Afterwards they both fell into a contented sleep in one another's arms.

* * *

><p>Jane's recovery was gradual but steady. Every day she smiled more and showed more enthusiasm for life. She and George spent many hours going for leisurely walks in the garden when the weather was nice, or lounging on the sofa while George read to Jane when it was bad. Little Georgie had grown to become a bright, inquisitive, sensitive little boy, and Jane enjoyed watching him grow and teaching him new things.<p>

By late spring Jane showed the first signs of pregnancy, and she and George rejoiced. As the summer progressed, she watched her belly grow larger and thrilled at the evidence of a new life beginning. As she and George lay in the tall grasses of the field under the hot sun, she took his hand and placed it on her belly so that he could feel their child's tiny kicks.

The weather had just begun to turn cooler and the leaves to fall from the trees when Jane's labor contractions began. George got Anne to watch Georgie and sent for the midwife, who arrived and examined Jane.

"Everything's going fine," she said. "It'll probably be several more hours."

Outside their chambers, George paced nervously. He remembered Georgie's traumatic birth and gave thanks to God that this time Jane was safe and in capable hands. He prayed that Jane would come through the delivery quickly and safely and that their child would be born alive and healthy.

"I feel like I have to push," Jane said later that night.

The midwife quickly examined her. "Go right ahead. You're ready."

Jane gave several mighty pushes, groaning with the effort. At last she felt her child slide from her body.

"It's a girl!" the midwife exclaimed.

Tears of joy ran down Jane's face as she held her new daughter. "George will be so happy," she said. suddenly she couldn't wait to see her husband.

George started when he heard the door open, and relief flooded through him when he saw the midwife standing there and smiling broadly.

"You may go in now," she told George.

George entered the room to see Jane sitting in bed propped up by pillows, exhausted but euphoric, holding a small bundle wrapped in a blanket.

"Are you all right, love?" he asked his wife.

"She's beautiful, George," Jane told him. "She looks just like you."

"So she does," he agreed happily, gently taking the bundle from Jane's arms. "Well, hello there, little one," he greeted his new daughter. She looked up at him with unfocused dark blue eyes.

"I'd like to name her Alice, after my mother," Jane said.

"That's fine with me," George said generously.

Far above, the heavens smiled down upon them. They would return some day, a long time from now, when they had lived out their lives on earth and accomplished all they'd been intended to. For now, they still had many productive years ahead of them, time to grow spiritually, to enjoy their family and friends, and to experience all life had to offer.


End file.
